U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,825 relates to a portable drier having two strips of thin substantially rigid strips pivotally attached independently to a U-shaped supporting member. A hook is pivotally secured to the center of the U-shaped member to function as a hanger for the drier. Hanger members are attached to the strips to function as clothespins. The strips fold into the bottom of the U-shaped member to a horizontal position for hanging clothes and pivot vertically out of the open ends of the U-shaped member for storage and transport.
The present invention differs substantially from the above patent in providing more hanger capacity without sacrificing convenience or cost by utilizing several equally spaced spoke-like elements radiating outwardly from a substantially circular hub. The patent employs two thin flat-sided strips secured by eyelet fasteners to the inside of a U-shaped support. The present invention employs more rounded elements that independently function like rigid clotheslines that are fastened to the hub in a hinge-like relationship. Pivoting movement of the hanger elements in the U-shaped channels of the prior art patent is accomplished by using eyelet fasteners. Pivoting movement of the spoke-like elements of the present invention is accomplished by providing a hinge mechanism inside the hub to permit the spoke-like elements to move from a horizontal position for hanging clothes and the like to a vertical position for storage or transport. One end of the spoke-like elements of the present invention, hereinafter referred to as horizontal supports, is bent at a 90 degree angle and fitted into channels molded inside the assembled hub like the pin in a door hinge. These hinge channels are also oriented at a 90 degree angle from the closed end of U-shaped channels. The horizontal supports rest in the bottoms of the U-shaped channels when oriented horizontally for hanging clothes and the like. Unattached clothes pins or clamps are used to hang clothes and the like to the horizontal supports. This arrangement permits more than two horizontal supports to radiate outward from the hub and thereby provide more hanging space than the limit of two provided by the prior art patent. This arrangement also simplifies manufacture and reduces costs and yet provides more drying capacity in both weight and volume while providing a more compact assembly that is easier to use and store or transport. It is ideal for use wherever ordinary washing and drying facilities are not available, especially where space for hanging and drying clothes are limited, such as an apartment, a college dorm, hotel room, mobile home, campground or recreational vehicle. It is especially suitable for use by the military in the field living in tents.
When describing the present assembly and its parts, the terms “horizontal” and “vertical” refer to an orientation in which the assembly is positioned in space so that the horizontal supports are parallel to the horizon or floor and the vertical support is perpendicular to the horizontal supports. Likewise “inside” and “outside” surfaces refer to surfaces closest to and furthest from the center of the hub and “top” and “bottom” surfaces refer to surfaces of the hub or its two parts when the hub as part of the whole assembly is positioned in space so that the horizontal supports are horizontal as described above.